Slovenia: The Tinkara Interview

Today we are heading to the Alps for our next interview in our series of the 2014 Eurovision ESCToday Interviews. We fly all the way Ljubljana, the beautiful Slovenian capital city where we catch up with the 2014 Slovenian Eurovision representative Tinkara. During our tete a tete with the beautiful Slovenian we learn more about her forthcoming Eurovision participation, Eurovision entry and discover the real Tinkara.

The theme of this year’s contest is #Join Us – if you could have any artist, past or present, join you on stage in Copenhagen, who would it be?

That would be my band, because we share energy on stage for many years. But unfortunately there is no live music played on the Eurovision stage and so decision was made that we are going to put more effort and attention to the vocal performance.

You wrote Round and round with Hannah, who represented Slovenia in last year’s contest –has she given you any advice on performing on the Eurovision stage?

Hannah helped me with the English lyrics. Raay, composer of the music, introduced me to her and although we didn’t know each other before, we connected easily. She just said: »Tinkara, sing as you know, and enjoy it, it’s gonna be one of your most magic lifetime experiences!«

Have you always performed with your flute – do you feel it’s an important part of your sound? Where did you learn how to play the flute?

Everything started at my early age, when I first came across Ian Anderson’s vinyl owned by my parents. He played a flute so wonderfully (and still does!) that my wish of playing that magic instrument immediately was born.

In 2004 I invited him to one of my concerts in Slovenia, in Cankarjev dom, a sort of Royal Albert Hall of Slovenia and after that our music collaboration continued. I was invited to play with him at his concerts with Jethro Tull and also with live orchestra. he gave me a special flute with a dedication engraved on it. I will play exactly that flute on the Eurovision stage! I studied the flute at the State Conservatory of Music »Giuseppe Tartini« in Trieste. The flute definitely takes a vital role in my songs!

Have you had a chance to listen to any of the other entries in this year’s contest? Do you have any favourites?

I haven’t managed yet. I will probably wait for the rehearsals in Copenhagen and meet the artists live. But because I live near Italian border, creating in Italian language and with Italian artist, I was curious about the Italian song. And I have to say that Emma rocks!

Who are your biggest musical influences?

U2, KT Tunstall, Imogen Heap, Pink Floyd, Coldplay, Jethro Tull.

What are you most looking forward to seeing or doing while you are Copenhagen?

I think the Eurovision is a great opportunity to meet other artists and create some new, hopefully creative music friendships. I really enjoy performing live on stage, so that’s absolutely the thing to be looking forward to.

You have been performing since 1997, what has been the highlight and most important moment of your career so far?

Huh…I have to say I don’t like to classify or in a way cut my career to separate pieces. Every concert, song or even a late night inspiration is integrated in a whole. Nevertheless there are some very important collaborations that I have to point out. As I already mentioned I’ve shared stage with amazing Ian Anderson. There were also Robert Plant, Mike Peters, Carlos Nunez, Massimo Bubola, Bungaro…

How do you plan to stage your entry in Copenhagen? Will your performance be the same as in the Slovenian national final?

There will be some changes with stage structure. More attention will be given to the essence of the song and to the live vocal performance. That’s all I can say for now…

Was Round and round written especially for Eurovision? Did you decide to submit it for Eurovision after you finished writing it. How does your song fit in for Eurovision Song Contest?

This year was a kind of new beginning for the Slovenian participation at Eurovision. The jury chose 7 active Slovenian artists or groups who are actually on the spot. It was a last minute call from the organizer to participate at EMA, so it was impossible to produce a song in so short time just for this spectacle. Let’s say that song is flirting with wide Eurovision’s audience in a way that respects some of the Eurovision’s setting but still clearly holds inspiration and purpose we wanted to give with the strong message inside the song.

What is your earliest Eurovision memory?

I was very young. I remember the beginnings of the Eurovision when there was a live orchestra.

How do you plan to promote your entry in Europe? Are you planning any promo tours?

We are planning to have some live concerts in Copenhagen and also try to promote our country with some other activities.

Do you a message for your fans and our readers at esctoday.com?

I am sending you a lot of sun from Slovenian coast and a little bit of fresh Karst wind! Have a great day, guys!

ESCToday.com would like to thank Tinkara and RTVSLO for this interview. We would like to wish Tinkara and RTVSLO the best of luck at the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest!

ESCToday is growing and always looks for new members to join our team! Feel free to drop us a line if you're interested! Use the Contact Us page or send us an email at vacancies@esctoday.com!

Eliza-Jane watched Eurovision Song Contest as a youngster growing up in Australia and continued to be a keen follower of the show since moving to London in 1999. She watched the show live from Oslo in 2010 and Dusseldorf in 2011, and Malmo 2013.